NARAL Pro-Choice America is hiring for an Assistant Director for California Programs. This is a senior level position based in our San Francisco office for someone with background and experience in legislative and electoral campaigns. NARAL is the nation’s leading advocate for reproductive freedom. This position is responsible for developing and implementing campaigns to achieve our strategic goals including communications, advocacy, and outreach. Qualifications include 4-5 years experience in legislative office, political campaigns and/or advocacy campaigns. For full job description, visit here or email Alex Doll at ADoll@ProChoiceAmerica.org.

Martha Montag Brown & Associates, LLC is pleased to announce a search for the newly created role for a Senior Program Officer – California Democracy for the James Irvine Foundation based in San Francisco, CA. The ideal candidate is a senior public policy professional with substantive knowledge about California policy issues and political processes at the state and local levels. A full job description can be found at: www.marthamontagbrown.com/searches.html. Applicants should send resume, cover letter and salary information to martha@marthamontagbrown.com.

DO YOU LIKE MYSTERY NOVELS & CA POLITICS? Long-time children's health advocate KRIS CALVIN has written a Sacramento-based "entertaining whodunnit told with humor and intellect." ONE MURDER MORE features a lobbyist as the amateur sleuth, while the cast of suspects includes two Governors (one past, one present) & a Senate Fellow! Advance order now & support through crowdsourcing atwww.inkshares.com/projects/one-murder-more

7th Annual Assembly Veteran of the Year Luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25th (Sacramento Convention Center). Corporate & individual sponsorships are available. The event is co-sponsored by Assemblymembers Pérez, Quirk-Silva & Chávez. All Assemblymembers select a veteran to honor from their district. For more information contact: Pete Conaty, 916 492-0550, pconaty@sbcglobal.net.

GOV:Laguna Hills mayor drops out of governor's race "Laguna Hills Mayor Andrew Blount ended his gubernatorial bid Tuesday, saying health issues hindered his campaign. . . In an interview, Blount said he's been battling a cyst on his spinal cord for months. The condition has caused other health problems, which sidelined him as he attempted to roll out his voter outreach program.

Meanwhile, Tim Donnelly is jumping on the "ObamaCore" bandwagon. From my inbox "Common Core: the Obamacare of Education."

Of course, Common Core was not an initiative of Obama. It was developed by the National Governors Association with support from key business groups and state school officials. One of two frameworks has been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Friday's Slate Political Gabfest had a good discussion on the topic.

Donnelly writes "That's why I'm excited to announce that I've taken the initiative to introduce a freedom-focused bill that would allow school districts across the state to opt out of Common Core."

That will be a dead bill following today's Assembly Education Committee hearing . . . but I'm sure the fundraising on it will continue.

SD10 (Hayward-Santa Clara):Sex and Violence Scandal May Impact East Bay Senate Race [Steven Tavares @ East Bay Express] - "A violent feud between the wife of a former East Bay state Assemblymember and the ex-chief of staff of a current one is raising questions about the use of taxpayer funds on what appears to have been a private — albeit, salacious — dispute. In addition, the public fight between Raquel Torrico, the wife of former Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, and Trisha Tahmasbi, the now ex-chief of staff of current Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski, could have political repercussions, because the Torricos are now openly backing one of Wieckowski's Democratic rivals in what promises to be a hotly contested June election for the state Senate."

AD10 (Marin-Petaluma):Jacobi's withdrawal is a boost for other candidates [Dick Spotswood @ MarinIJ] - "Jacobi's withdrawal is a boost for both Conti and the other Democratic woman in the race, Santa Rosa Councilwoman Erin Carlstrom. It's not so much because the super-environmentalist Jacobi had much support. It's simply that three Democratic women running to the left of centrist incumbent Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, divide the progressive vote. That gives Novato's Greg Allen, the sole Republican candidate, an outside chance for second place if he campaigns in earnest."

AD32 (Kings):Momentum builds for Agbalog in Assembly race [Seth Nidever @ Hanford Sentinel] - "The latest [endorsement] came Monday, when the office of Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, sent out a press release announcing that the congressman prefers Agbalog over Pedro Rios to challenge incumbent Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, in November. . . Agbalog also has the backing of former Assemblyman and Hanford resident Danny Gilmore, who supported Rios in the 2012 primary."

SCRUB!From the website of the Manatt superfirm: "We secured a unanimous jury verdict for Donald Sterling and the Los Angeles Clippers in a lawsuit involving the termination of Elgin Baylor."

Manatt also continues to be the registered lobbying firm for the California Black Chamber of Commerce.

Overheard in the Manatt office: "WHO THE HELL HAS THE WEBSITE PASSWORD???"

EAR-PIERCING: The Cordial Caucus will have its first Karaoke Night of the year at Simon's tonight at 7pm, with returning special guest host Fiona Ma. As I can't be there to sing, it will be a safe place for your ears.

COMMUTE:Speedy Fix50 construction means big changes for commuters this week [Bill Lindelof @ SacBee]- "[T]he early completion means that the three interior lanes will be reopened for use, while the two exterior lanes are closed, as well as the connector ramps to southbound Highway 99 and eastbound Business 80. Also to close on eastbound Highway 50 will be the 11th Street on-ramp and the 16th Street on-ramp."

#FAREWELL: Democrats in Orange County are mourning the loss of longtime activist Tim Carpenter.

SACRAMENTO &mdash; The state is releasing some low-level, nonviolent prisoners early as Gov. Jerry Brown complies with a federal court order to reduce crowding in its lockups &mdash; a turning point in the governor's efforts to resolve the issue.

The drought-driven quest to put a new water bond before California voters has fluctuated over the last few weeks, marked by new measures appearing, old ones evaporating and legislators shifting allegiances.

Hundreds of San Diego Iraqis cast their overseas ballot on Sunday and Monday at the Crystal Ballroom in El Cajon. It's the first parliamentary election of their home country since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011.

California lawmakers rejected proposals Tuesday to give state parole officers greater authority over released inmates now being watched by counties, legislation aimed at relieving probation departments that say they are ill prepared for their new caseload.

A federal judge struck down a Wisconsin voter ID law as unconstitutional because it imposed an unfair burden on the poor and minorities, a move that could set a precedent for other voting rights cases to be decided this election year.

Chinatown tong leader Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow remains jailed without bail on federal racketeering charges - but he was able to take part by phone the other night in a journalism symposium at UC Berkeley. Allergic reaction: A bill to require public schools to stock emergency injection kits and have staffers trained to use them if a student goes into allergic shock is running into opposition from teachers unions. SB1266, co-authored by state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, and Republican state Sen. Bob Huff of Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County), would mandate that a teacher, staffer or administrator be trained in the use of epinephrine auto-injectors in case a student goes into shock from a food allergy or bee sting. In a letter to lawmakers, the teachers association said that administering epinephrine goes "beyond the scope" of teachers' training and that unwilling school workers might be "highly encouraged" by administrators to volunteer for the job. Orinda City Councilman and Democratic state Assembly candidate Steve Glazer, who is running on a BART reform platform, called the raises "tone-deaf and irresponsible." BART directors said they had no choice but to raise the execs' pay, given the salaries, bonuses, and car and housing allowances being paid to other Bay Area transportation chiefs. [...] the Warriors would have to wait a couple of years before they could even consider a Salesforce naming deal.

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing reversed itself and voted earlier this month to offer military instructors a limited authorization to teach physical education. In the eyes of physical educators, respect for their field was dealt another blow.

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, right, speaks with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver during a Kings game in February in Sacramento. Ranadive says he supports to strong moves Silver took in response to Donald Sterling’s objectionable comments.

The state Senate Public Safety Committee unanimously supported the measure sought by relatives of Audrie Pott, a 15-year-old Saratoga high school student who was raped while she lay unconscious at a house party with her classmates. After the assault, Pott's assailants scribbled words on her body and took photos they shared online. Several days later, Pott hanged herself. Three teenage boys involved in the assault were tried in juvenile court and received sentences of 30 to 45 days.

A top election-year proposal from Democrats -- a bid to raise the federal minimum wage -- was rejected by Republicans in the Senate, who blocked legislation Wednesday to boost the rate to $10.10 an hour.